An Out-of-the-Book Knowledge
by Clarixe
Summary: Levy is known to be the knowledgeable one yet somehow she learned something from Gajeel that is out of the books. [Rated T: for Gajeel's foul mouth] (A one-shot GaLe)


**An Out-of-the-Book Knowledge**

It was already dark. They were walking along the bank of the river. Several lamp posts along the riverbank illuminated the area. They were on their way back to the guild headquarter. The iron dragon slayer was steadily pacing forward. The solid script mage followed him behind closely.

Levy McGarden had her hands behind her back. She recalled what happened earlier that day like a film inside her head.

_"Join me," the iron dragon slayer said to the solid script mage as he flashed a piece of paper with a guild request printed on it. It was not a question but rather a command, "I have a quest, an easy one."_

_ "If it's an easy one," the solid script mage answered without lifting her eyes on the book. Her nose buried under the thick pages of a leather-bound book about the grammar of an ancient language – something she looked forward on finishing, "why don't you go yourself?"_

_ "You've never been out for weeks," the raven-haired mage instantly replied as he sat beside the wooden stool that the solid script maiden was seating on. His right hand briefly brushed against hers, "you've been too busy on that book."_

_ The brief interaction of their skin made the cerulean-haired mage blushed furiously and for a moment, she lost her control on her grip on the book. She almost threw her book off the air clumsily._

_ "Gajeel, this is an important text," she held her breath and collected composure, "I must analyse this vigorously."_

_ "Shrimp," he called._

_ "Gajeel," she replied; her eyes still glued to the book. Somehow she realized that every time the iron dragon slayer enters, her focus seems to be in a dark oblivion, forever lost._

_ "Shrimp," he called again. He already had a habit of annoying her by calling her 'shrimp' or a bookworm._

_ Levy sucked in her breath and closed her book. Her eyes shifted from the hardbound to the iron-haired mage._

_ "Come on, geehee." Gajeel smirked, "this one's easy."_

_ "Fine," Levy muttered under her breath. The two other members of the Shadow Gear, flocked around them, overhearing the invitation of the dragon slayer to their muse._

_ "We'll join the two of you," Jet initiated. Droy, eating a chicken leg, was beside him._

_ "Nah," the dragon slayer replied instantly, "only this bookworm."_

_ "Levy," Droy went nearer to the solid script mage, "we don't want to leave you with him."_

_ "We don't trust him," Jet eyed the dragon slayer._

_ "It's okay, guys," she assured, "I trust him."_

_ To say that she trusts him was already well-proven statement of hers. He had already protected her twice – one from Laxus's thunders and another from Grimoire Heart's members._

_ "Mirajane, we'll be back before nightfall," Gajeel placed the request poster on the counter and walked away._

_ Levy placed her thick hardbound inside her sling bag and scurried away, following the iron dragon slayer._

The flashback of what happened that morning made the solid script smile.

"What are you smiling at?" Gajeel asked as he stopped for a moment and was staring at the cerulean-haired mage who was smiling at a blank space. This broke off her trail of thoughts.

"Nothing," she stuttered, "we should hurry; we told Mira that we'll be back before nightfall."

"Geehee," he laughed, "I'm enjoying this, shrimp."

Facing the river, he sat on the grass. Under the light of a certain lamp post, his figure created a shadow. A certain part of his face was in the darkness. The roughness of his voice, the light in his cold-steel red eyes, the raggedness of his muscular figure – Levy couldn't help herself. She blushed slightly at the sight of the iron dragon slayer.

He lay down on the grass, "you could go back to the guild yourself; I'm staying here for a while."

She watched him for a second. The sight of him on the grass with his right leg promptly placed on his left knee made her smile. He was relaxed. It was something she wasn't expecting. It was a rare moment for her to see him in such a good stature. He was always in a foul mood.

"Levy," he called as he stared at the sky, "someone told me that these things up in the sky have names."

Levy looked up. She did not notice the magnificence of the sky. Stars brightly shining in different sizes and distances embellished the entire sky. Her eyes glowed, "it's beautiful."

She sat beside Gajeel, "I guess, it won't be a bother to Mirajane if we stay here for a few minutes."

The iron dragon slayer remained silent. He was intently staring at the sky. His brows were few inches near each other, creating a visible crease. Levy felt a sudden thug in her heart. She wanted to move a few inches away from the dragon slayer. She feared that her sitting next to him got him into a foul mood again. She moved few inches away from the dragon slayer.

"What are those?"

Gajeel pointed at a certain direction of the sky. Levy looked up and answered knowingly, "that's Orion."

She pulled out her hardbound book from the bag.

"How about that one?"

She looked up again. With just one look, she can easily identify them. It was a no-brainer question for the solid script mage, "that's Cassiopeia."

She opened the page where she stopped and continued reading ancient text. She was not using a gale-force reading glasses. Levy preferred to read in a normal pacing under a well-lit area.

"You should enjoy this," he suddenly said, "It's been a while since I last saw a star. It rains often."

Levy said "m-m" and continued reading her book.

"Must be the rain woman's fault," he muttered, "that bitch."

Levy remained silent. She was already focusing on her book.

The iron dragon slayer lifted his upper body and within arm's reach, he grabbed the solid script mage's book and threw it to the river, "now's not the time to read, shrimp."

Levy's jaw dropped. No one has ever done that in front of her. Her nostrils flared and her brows were an inch close to each other, "Gajeel, that was an expensive book."

"I'll replace it tomorrow morning," he turned his body away from her, "I'll go to the bookstore with you, first thing in the morning."

"Oh, the poor book," she muttered.

"Think of it as a gift for the fishes," he said in a serious tone – she wasn't sure whether he was joking or not, "time for them to read something."

Levy lay down as well. She placed her arm on her forehead. The softness of grass fit perfectly well for her back. She felt comfort. After all, they were from a quest.

All the while, she cannot believe that the dragon slayer threw her book.

"A book is important to me," she explained, "it made me experience things that I have never felt."

She had read thousands – no, perhaps a million of books. She had been reading book at the age of three. It was a talent discovered by her parents. Because of that, they sent the solid script mage to the finest guild there is – Fairy Tail, hoping that a group of strong and powerful mages will help her develop her talent. Indeed, she was able to develop her skill.

She has read from classical novels to the highly-informative encyclopaedic books. It was like she was being transported to an alternate universe.

As Makarov told her when she was a child, "knowledge is the key to power; you must use this power to help the others find theirs."

"You know shrimp," Gajeel said; his back still away from her, "I may not be a well-read person but I can say that there are certain fucks in life that you will not experience through books."

Levy remained silent. She was looking straight at the sky. Her eyes were fixed on the blanket of stars.

"Many bastards might have attempted to describe a sky full of stars," Gajeel explained as he placed his back on the grass again. Their arms were millimeters from each other, "but nobody has really given a description worth the picture."

She felt his finger brushed against hers. His skin was rough and full of callous but somehow, his skin made her feel something different. She cannot describe the feeling. She felt a different kind of energy inside her – something that made her feel jumpy.

"Do you get my point?"

She nodded.

"I only live once," he muttered, "might as well make this boring life a one fruitful hell."

She asked, "how do you plan to do it?"

"Plan?" He asked, "That's fucking nonsense, bookworm. I do not plan. I act."

"Spontaneity," she muttered.

Gajeel said, "Master Makarov told me to appreciate the goodness that this life has to offer."

"That's ojiisan," Levy chuckled; she was starting to feel the mist of the night.

Gajeel sat, "I now appreciate the value of friendship; I also appreciate everyone's kindness every once in a while."

His gaze met hers, "I appreciate you."

He leaned towards her face. Their noses were inches close to each other, "when I watch you read, sometimes I wonder how all those words stick inside your puny brain."

Levy blushed furiously. Her hands clenched in a fistball manner. His eyes were like a pair of rubies. She was mesmerized by his eyes.

She could smell him. He smelled steel, grass and sweat. It was intoxicating for her. She could close her eyes and smell him all day.

"And sometimes, I wonder the taste of those lips of yours," he said in his raspy tone of voice.

Levy blinked her eyes and the next thing she knew, the lips of the iron dragon slayer were already against hers.

Despite his rough look, his lips were soft. As he brushed his lips against hers, she felt his hand on her neck, caressing her jawline.

She was on high. It was something she had never felt before. She had read thousands of books describing different kisses but none of them was able to describe the height of feelings involved and the exact electricity jolts that she had been feeling. She thought, "none of them were able to describe even the slightest of what I am feeling right now."

"To tell you the truth, shrimp," he stopped and lift his head, "this is the one thing I planned – to kiss you."

He, then, kissed her again. The kiss was tender. She placed her arms around his neck.

The kiss has an intoxicating whiff on her. It was as if she had forgotten the stars, the name of the stars, the recent book that she was reading. All she can think of is the present scenario – she, Gajeel and the kiss that they were sharing.

He broke off the kiss, which made the solid script mage's eyes widened. He sat and said, "we better get going or that take-over bitch will worry and ask that stupid flame dragon fart to look for us."

She nodded and chuckled.

"You, puny lady, is really a something," he said as he stood up. He held his hand to the cerulean-haired mage. She held unto it and used it as a support as she stood up.

She almost forgot about her book being thrown to the river, "how about my book?"

"I'll buy another one for you," he said, "though, I don't remember the title of the book."

"I could accompany you," she shyly answered, "maybe we could also eat outside."

She felt a rush of blood went to her cheeks.

"Just the two of us," she muttered under her breath.

"Not a problem, shrimp," he chuckled as he placed his hand on her head, "geehee."

They started walking. His hand on his head. Her fingers on her lips.

"Oi," Natsu called as he approached the two mages, "Mirajane was worried so he asked me to look for the two of you."

The fire dragon slayer stopped and noticed Levy, "Levy, do you feel unwell? Your entire face is as red as a tomato."

"This is nothing!" she exclaimed as she shook her arms up and down. Her face turned redder.

**FIN**


End file.
